The Village Square: May 16, 2016

Last week I got an early play of Mystic Vale (more below), I played some new-to-me games with my gaming groups (Scoville, Mr. Jack Pocket, and Mage Tower, A Tower Defense Card Game), and I had a blast at an impromptu family game night during my parents’ anniversary (thank you, Telestrations!). To paraphrase Ice Cube, it was a good week.

Small Reference for a Big WorldComing soon from Days of Wonder is the Small World: Pocket Encyclopedia. This reference guide will provide “comprehensive information on all the races, special powers, and rules for the Small World base game” and expansions.

Supporting the Brick-and-MortarPrivateer Press announced that all of its North American distribution partners have agreed to its free rider policy which “seeks to discourage high-volume online retailers that do not offer meaningful services from undermining the growth and sustainability of the industry.”

The Chains That RustThe Chains That Rust, a new expansion for Descent: Journeys in the Dark, will be available during the third quarter of this year. According to Fantasy Flight Games, “Within this expansion, you’ll discover an entirely new one-act campaign that can be played on its own or as a sequel to the campaign included in Mists of Bilehall.”

Mystic ValeA few of the AEG crew demo’ed Mystic Vale for my local gaming group last week and the “card crafting system” was terrific. It reminded me of a deck builder where your deck never exceeds your original allotment of cards (it makes sense once you play it). No official launch date yet, but it will be out this summer.

Junk ArtChannel your inner Picasso when Junk Art comes out this August. The game promises that “everything you touch turns into magnificent structures and extraordinary creations.”

Loony Quest PreviewHere’s a preview of Asmodee’s Loony Quest, in which “players try to earn as much experience as they can by completing missions and quests in a limited amount of time. On their own transparent screen, each player draws a path navigating each level’s obstacles and their opponent’s traps. When the time is up, each player’s screen is placed on top of the game board, and the drawings are evaluated to see how close each Champion has gotten to Fedoor’s throne”

Peace
Rather Dashing Games has announced We Come in Peace, a “fun, fast, strategic game for 2-6 players. Opponents roll Invasion dice, sending flying saucers to attack your planet’s cities. … Be the alien with the least damage at the end of the game to claim a victory of galactic proportions!”

The Mummy ReturnsThis October marks the arrival of the Pathfinder Adventure Card Game: Mummy’s Mask Base Set which will feature “More than 500 cards, featuring 7 character classes, a wide array of gear and magical treasures, and dozens of allies, monsters, and villains from the Mummy’s Mask storyline.”

Aliens LurkingWho Lurks, a hidden-role party game played on iOS or Android devices, is now available in the App Store and Play Store. According to Pocket Tactics, “Most of the players are humans, trying to repair and protect their starship, while one or more players are hidden aliens who are trying to blow it right the hell up. Actual gameplay consists of mini-games that each player needs to perform in order to solve a problem with the starship. The alien can, of course, try to sabotage each game and generally make it harder for the humans to get what they want.”

Hand HoldingA fascinating designer diary about … and then we held hands, a game “designed, developed, and printed in 48 hours.”

Eleven by UweAn overview of 11 games by designer Uwe Rosenberg, including Bohnanza, Agricola, Le Havre, and Patchwork.

Crowdfunding InsightsAs part of his ongoing series on “interesting choices made by current crowdfunders regarding their project’s reward levels, stretch goals, and overall campaign design (the projects themselves, not the content or product),” Jamey Stegmaier of Stonemaier Games discusses insights gleaned from recent crowdfunding campaigns.